Hey, 👋 Scott from The Sales Mastermind here.

Today’s edition only takes 3 minutes.

They say, "A change is as good as a holiday" - in sales, this means changing the method/channel of outreach can refresh the buying journey and close deals, especially when they go quiet.

Today we’ll cover:

• Storytime
• Forms of Communication
• Getting Phone Numbers
• Lead with Curiosity​​

Storytime

It happened twice last week; once is annoying, twice is a lesson.

Two buyers: one a current client looking to expand our relationship. The other a prospective client who hadn't fully committed to the next (paid) step.

Both gave strong hints that they were ready to move forward, while neither explicitly said "Yes".

Then they both went silent for well over a week.

I was nervous.

We’ve all been there. You get a verbal, so you email with next steps. Then you wait, and:

• No response that day - that’s ok; people are busy.
• Nothing the next day - doubt creeps in.
• Every subsequent day of silence slowly erodes your confidence.

I was dreading that these might both be examples of the “deal(s) that got away” after we’d both done all the hard work.

However, for both buyers, I had their mobile numbers, so I changed the communication method from email to mobile.

For the current client:

• I sent him a WhatsApp message.
• Within 10 minutes, we increased our engagement: he emailed to introduce me to the new coachees, and we scheduled a live intro via calendar invite.
• Upsell done.

For the prospective buyer:

• I sent him a text message and his reply came through the next day:
• “Hey Scott - I just checked, and my emails have been down so it seems my bl**dy email never sent. I’m good to start this Thursday if you are”
• So I sent the calendar invite, e-signature agreement, and first invoice.
• We started that Thursday.

In the space of 24 hours, I added a few thousand dollars in recurring revenue from deals I thought had slipped away.

The lesson? When a buyer goes quiet on one channel (for example, email), try another, and another, and another.

Forms of Communication

The easiest and most professional method of communication is an email. However, there are many, many other ways to get in touch with your buyers.

Methods I have used this year:

• Call (if no answer, leave a voice message)
• Text
• Whatsapp
• Linkedin
• Loom video

Best practice is to stick with the method they respond to until they stop responding, then change it up.

If that is email, keep going; when they stop responding to email, call or text your buyer. Better yet, call, leave a voice message and send a text right afterwards.

Getting Phone Numbers

Many sellers will tell me they don’t always have their buyers' phone numbers. And that is a solvable problem.

Firstly, add and require this question on your online booking link:

That isn’t foolproof, as some people will put a fake number and others may never use your booking link.

That is why I also have an account with an online data provider to obtain my buyers' mobile numbers. Good providers for Australian data are Firmable and Lusha.

Bonus Version: Another way to get mobile numbers is to ask for them during sales meetings in a way that gives the buyer value for providing you their number. Two examples:

• One of my clients does a lot of speaking engagements and offers to text audience members a piece of valuable content if they fill in a form at the end of the presentation - he collects dozens of mobile numbers every talk.
• Another client gets mobile numbers by promising to text them a visual mock-up of the product later that day - for genuinely interested buyers, it always works.

In both examples, buyers are eager to give their mobile as they get something of value in return.

Lead with Curiosity

Now you have their mobile; it's time to reach out.

When it feels like a buyer is pulling away, the worst thing you can do is make them feel trapped or that they've done something wrong.

Therefore, you want to keep the message short, lead with curiosity, and give them an "out" for not replying to you sooner. Examples:

To my current client from above, I sent:

To the prospective buyer I sent:

Another example from May: The buyer had signed my audit agreement, paid the invoice, and then gone silent.

Getting paid, then ghosted by a client, would have been a first.

And worse, I did not have a mobile number. So I used an online database to find his number, called him, he answered, and I opened with curiosity, asking:

On that call, we booked the Audit Kick-Off, and he sent me the required files and logins.

Remember, just because they have gone quiet on one method of communication does not mean the deal is dead. And it is your job to make sure the deal still happens.

Until next week,
Scott Cowley

PS When you're ready, here are three ways I can help you get out of the founder-only sales trap:

1. Got a deal slipping or a buyer ghosting you? Get my four email templates to send to any ghosted deal.
2. Want to binge more tips, tricks, ideas, and my best trainings? Check out the back catalogue of over 130+ newsletters: https://thesalesmastermind.kit.com/​
3. Are you a founder and thinking about working with me? Let me know here.​